Clothing Cuff Clip with Contamination Indicator

ABSTRACT

A clothing cuff clip attachable to an article of clothing, especially a pants leg cuff, to gather and lift the clothing up from an adjacent surface and provide a barrier between the surface and the clothing item being worn. The clothing cuff clip is inexpensive to manufacture and may be disposable after extended use. The clip is easy to attach to the lower back edge of the pants leg cuff on the item of clothing being worn and yet remains securely attached even after extended use. Optionally, a contamination indicator that changes in appearance when subjected to significant moisture, a change in pH, or the presence of a selected contaminant material, is positioned on the lower floor contact area of the clip to provide the wearer with an indication of when the clip, and therefore the item of clothing, has come into contact with contaminated materials.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to attachments and accessoriesfor items of clothing. The present invention relates more specificallyto devices that facilitate the maintenance of cuffed edges of clothingand thereby reduce the risk of such cuffed edges collecting andspreading contaminants.

2. Description of the Related Art

Most items of clothing require washing and/or cleaning after a period ofuse as they become soiled over time through contact with the wearer and,in many cases, with the wearer's environment. In most situations, theaccumulation of contaminants from the environment on items of clothingposes no specific health risk as the contaminant materials are typicallyinert or contain such low levels of infectious organisms as to beunlikely to spread germs or other contagions. Hospitals and otherhealthcare facilities, on the other hand, are well known as environmentswhere infected and/or contaminated surfaces abound. Articles of clothingworn in such healthcare environments will become contaminated,especially if elements of the items of clothing, such as cuffs on pantsand shirts, are in regular contact with unclean surfaces.

The article of clothing most likely to come into regular contact withcontaminated surfaces in a healthcare facility environment are the pantsof healthcare providers, especially the uniform type pants typicallyworn by healthcare providers known as “scrubs” or “scrub pants”. Theseuniform objects of clothing are often provided to the workers within afacility in small, medium, and large sizes, each of which are designedto fit loosely on the wearer. This loose fit, while comfortable to thewearer, generally guarantees that the pants leg cuffs will drag on thefloor and/or be regularly caught under the wearer's shoes as they moveabout the facility. While efforts to disinfect floor surfaces inhealthcare facilities are continuously being made, workers areconstantly moving from areas that may have recently become contaminated(such as operating room floors) into areas that may have been recentlycleaned, thereby quickly contaminating the previously clean surfaces andfacilitating the rapid spread of germs and other pathogens within thefacility.

Providing better fitting clothing might be a solution to the problem,but such would be expensive given the wide range in clothing sizes thatwould be required. Add to this the fact that most healthcare providersprefer the loose-fitting scrubs and it becomes apparent that anothersolution is required. It would be difficult to fundamentally modify thenature of the clothing currently being worn in most healthcarefacilities or to modify the manner in which healthcare providers readilymove from place to place within a facility. Currently, the manner inwhich pants leg cuffs, such as those of medical scrubs, drag acrossfloor surfaces in healthcare facilities, significantly contributes tothe spread of unwelcome contaminants within the facilities.

It would, therefore, be desirable to have a mechanism for reducing theamount of contact between contaminated floor surfaces and the articlesof clothing worn by those who regularly traverse those surfaces. Itwould be desirable if such a mechanism could gather the edges of an itemof clothing, such as the cuffs of scrub pants, to lift them up off thefloor and at the same time provide a barrier between the contaminatedfloor surface and the article of clothing being worn. Such a mechanismwould preferably be versatile enough to be used with a range of clothingitems in a range of sizes. It would be desirable if such a mechanism wasinexpensive to the point of being disposable and was easy to use (i.e.easy to put on the article of clothing and generally secure in itsattachment). It would be a further benefit if the mechanism provided anindication of the degree to which the clothing item it is associatedwith has been in contact with contaminated surfaces.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention therefore provides a clothing cuff clip attachableto the cuff of an article of clothing, especially a pants leg cuff, togather and lift the cuff up away from the floor surface and to provide amodest sized barrier between the floor surface and the clothing itembeing worn. The clothing cuff clip is inexpensive to manufacture inlarge quantities and may be disposable after extended use. The clip iseasy to attach to the lower back edge of the pants leg cuff on the itemof clothing being worn and yet remains securely attached even afterextended use. Optionally, a contamination indicator that changes inappearance when subjected to significant moisture and/or a significantchange in pH or chemical composition may be positioned on the lowerfloor contact area of the clip to provide the wearer with an indicationof the degree to which the clip, and therefore the item of clothing, hascome into contact with contaminated materials.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first preferred embodiment of theclothing cuff clip of the present invention shown with optionalcontamination indicator.

FIG. 2 is a front plan view of the clothing cuff clip of the presentinvention disclosed in FIG. 1, shown with the optional contaminationindicator in place.

FIG. 3 is a side plan view of the clothing cuff clip of the presentinvention disclosed in FIG. 1, shown with the optional contaminationindicator in place.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an alternate preferred embodiment of theclothing cuff clip of the present invention shown without the optionalcontamination indicator.

FIG. 5 is an elevational view from the rear of an individual wearing twoof the clothing cuff clips of the present invention on the pants legcuffs typically associated with scrubs uniform pants used in healthcarefacilities and the like.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference made first to FIG. 1 for a description of the basicconstruction of clothing cuff clip of the present invention, asstructured to solve the problems and meet the objectives outlined above.FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a first preferred embodiment of theclothing cuff clip of the present invention shown with optionalcontamination indicator. In this view, cuff clip 10 is seen to beconstructed primarily of first clip member 12 and second clip member 14.Clip members 12 & 14 are preferably constructed from a shaped flat bandof rigid or semi-rigid material such as a hard plastic (molded orextruded polymer material as examples) or metal (aluminum or stainlesssteel as examples). The clip material should have a resiliency afterbeing formed such that the clip may be opened slightly to insert an edgeof the clothing item and spring back to close on and exert a grippingforce on the clothing. Various materials that meet these requirementsare known in the art, many of which are inexpensive, easy to shape andform, and frequently recyclable.

As mentioned, clip members 12 & 14 are preferably part of a single bandof material that is shaped to form “U” shaped clip base 16 whichestablishes a 180 degree bend in the material. An upper end of clipmember 12 forms clip top tab 18 which extends beyond an upper edge ofclip member 14. Clip member 14 terminates in clip lift tab 20 which inthe preferred embodiment is simply a 90 degree bend in the terminal edgeof the clip member. The described structure of the top part of cuff clip10 provides the means for manipulating the clip into place on theclothing cuff and inserting the edge of the cuff into the clip. Prior touse, clip opening 26 is preferably closed (by press-through ridges 24 a& 24 b as described in more detail below) as a result of the residualspring force left in the clip structure during manufacture and opensslightly under modest force when the user directs the edge of theclothing cuff into the opening.

While cuff clip 10 could function with only the above describedstructural features, the preferred embodiment of the present inventionincorporates further elements that facilitate the secure attachment ofthe mechanism to the fabric cuff of the pants leg of the user. Clipmember 14 defines press-through aperture 22 forming a slot generally inthe center of the clip member. This slot formed by press-throughaperture 22 aligns with and is sized to receive press-through ridges 24a & 24 b with one or more fabric layers of the clothing cuff pressedbetween them. Given the relatively thin fabric materials of the typicalscrubs pants leg cuff, this combination of press-through aperture 22 andpress-through ridges 24 a & 24 b provide a stronger, yet stillremovable, attachment to the clothing edge.

Use of the clothing cuff clip of the present invention involves placingone clip on each of the two pants leg cuffs of the clothing item beingworn by the user. In most cases, cuff clip 10 is secured to a gatherededge of the clothing rather than the single layer of fabric that formsthe lower edge of the cuff. The user might choose to roll the cuff upbefore securing the clip or simply bunch the fabric into the clip sothat the clip serves to lift the edge of the cuff up from contact withthe floor. Because the front of the “too long” pants leg is typicallyheld up by the front of the shoe of the wearer, a clip structured asthat of the present invention is all that is required to lift thebalance of the edge of the cuff up off of the floor. If some part of theback side of the cuff falls into contact with the floor surface it willbe clip base 16 which forms a modest barrier between the contaminatedfloor and the clothing fabric bunched up within the clip. Once again,the residual spring force in the clip material should be sufficient tomaintain the clip in position on the pants leg cuff even as the clip isworn for extended periods and time and comes into frequent contact (asbeing dragged across, for example) with floor surfaces.

An optional additional feature of the present invention is shown inbroken line form in FIG. 1 as contamination indicator 28. As mentionedabove, it would be desirable for the user of the present invention tohave some indication of the degree to which the item of clothing theyare wearing has come into contact with contaminated or potentiallycontaminated surfaces. In the preferred embodiment, contaminationindicator 28 is a layer of material positioned over clip base 16 thatextends a distance up the outer faces of clip members 12 & 14 toestablish a portion of the cuff clip that first contacts the floorsurface during use. Whatever contaminant compounds might be transferredfrom the floor to the cuff clip will therefore first contact and bereceived by contamination indicator 28. The preferred properties of thematerial from which contamination indicator 28 is made are simply thatit be capable of absorbing (over time) a quantity of contaminantmaterial from the floor surface and to thereafter provide a visualindication of the accumulated presence of that contaminant material.

In some embodiments of the present invention, contamination indicator 28may itself be a replaceable clip that is removably secured to clip base16. Although the entire cuff clip 10 is preferably disposable, someembodiments (such as with stainless steel cuff clips) may benefit fromthe replacement of just the contamination indicator after a period ofuse. A removable contamination indicator 28 for use with a stainlesssteel clip (for example) would comprise a plastic clip with a porouslayer of material on its outer surface that could be clipped onto orremoved from clip base 16 as needed. An indentation (not shown) in theexternal surface of the cuff clip in the area around clip base 16 wouldfacilitate retention of the removable contamination indicator.

There are any number of absorbent polymer materials (such as those usedin sponge mops and the like) that can serve as an appropriate substratefor the retention of a color changing substance that responds to theaccumulated presence of water or of specific chemical compositions. Inits simplest form, contamination indicator 28 may indicate theaccumulated presence of moisture, which alone is a reasonable indicationthat potentially contaminated compounds have been picked up from thefloor surfaces traversed by the user. Alternately, the substratematerial of contamination indicator 28 may be impregnated with aquantity of one or more chemicals that provide visual indications (colorchanges) of a change in pH or of the presence of a specific contaminantcompound. Such a contamination indicator provides the user withinformation regarding an appropriate duration of use for the cuff clip(before it should be disposed of) and of the clothing item to which itis secured (before it should be washed).

Reference is next made to FIGS. 2 & 3 which provide additional views ofcuff clip 10 of the first preferred embodiment of the present inventionas shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a front plan view of the clothing cuffclip of the present invention disclosed in FIG. 1, shown with theoptional contamination indicator in place. FIG. 3 is a side plan view ofthe clothing cuff clip disclosed in FIG. 1, again shown with theoptional contamination indicator in place.

In the views of FIGS. 2 & 3, cuff clip 10 is again seen to beconstructed primarily of first clip member 12 and second clip member 14.As best seen in FIG. 3, clip members 12 & 14 are constructed from ashaped flat band of rigid or semi-rigid material such as a hard plasticor metal. Clip members 12 & 14 are part of a single band of materialthat is shaped to form “U” shaped clip base 16. An upper end of clipmember 12 forms clip top tab 18 extending beyond an upper edge of clipmember 14. Clip member 14 terminates in clip lift tab 20 thatfacilitates manipulation of the clip by the wearer. Prior to use, clipopening 26 is preferably closed (by press-through ridges 24 a & 24 b asdescribed in more detail below) again as a result of the residual springforce left in the clip structure during manufacture and opens slightlyunder modest force when the user directs the edge of the clothing cuffinto the opening. A separation distance D₁ between clip members 12 & 14should be wide enough to receive and retain multiple layers of fabriccomprising the cuff of the article of clothing.

FIGS. 2 & 3 more clearly show the manner in which clip member 14 definespress-through aperture 22 forming a slot generally in the center of theclip member (see especially FIG. 2). This slot formed by press-throughaperture 22 aligns with and is sized to receive press-through ridges 24a & 24 b, again with one or more fabric layers of the clothing cuffpressed between them. It will be recognized that the layers of fabric donot need to be pressed fully through aperture 22 in order to benefitfrom the additional spring force developed by the aperture/ridgearrangement to better secure the clip to the cuff.

Finally, in FIGS. 2 & 3 the placement and positioning of contaminationindicator 28 can be seen. The goal of the structure of contaminationindicator 28 is to be the first, and perhaps only, part of the clip thatmakes direct contact with the floor surface. Some extension of thematerial making up the contamination indicator on both clip member 12(for purposes of having a visual indication of its condition) and clipmember 14 (for purposes of dragging on the floor surface when the userwalks forward) is preferable.

Reference is next made to FIG. 4 for a description of an example of analternate embodiment of the clothing cuff clip of the present invention.FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an alternate preferred embodiment of theclothing cuff clip shown without the optional contamination indicator.In this alternate embodiment, cuff clip 30 is seen to be constructedprimarily of first clip member 32 and second clip member 33. Clipmembers 32 & 33 are preferably constructed from a shaped band of rigidor semi-rigid material such as a hard plastic or metal that, in thiscase, is flat on one face (external) and rippled on the opposite face(internal). As in the first preferred embodiment, clip members 32 & 33are preferably part of a single band of material that is shaped to form“U” shaped clip base 34 which establishes a 180 degree bend in thematerial. An upper end of clip member 32 forms clip top tab 35 whichextends beyond an upper edge of clip member 33. Clip member 33terminates in clip lift tab 36 which, as in the preferred embodiment, issimply a 90 degree bend in the terminal edge of the clip member. Priorto use, clip opening 31 is preferably closed by interior ripples 38 a-38c in contact with interior ripples 39 a & 39 b, again as a result of theresidual spring force left in the clip structure during manufacture andopens slightly under modest force when the user directs the edge of theclothing cuff into the opening. Ridges 37 provide a tactile surface thatfacilitate placement of the clip on the pants leg cuff.

Other mechanisms for increasing the grip that the clip has on the fabriclayers in the bunched or rolled up cuff are possible. The embodimentshown in FIG. 4 improves the grip by increasing the contact surface areaand directing the frictional contact force in multiple directionsthrough the use of rippled surfaces on the internal faces of the clipmembers. Other structures on the internal faces of the clip members thatachieve these same effects could be implemented. An increased grippingforce must, however, be balanced against the ease with which the clipsare placed and positioned on the cuff. It is anticipated that in generalthe user would put the clips in place while the pants are being worn,although this is not necessary to proper placement of the clips. In anycase, the gripping force achieved by the combination of the residualspring force in the clip and the friction increasing mechanism internalto the clip, is balanced against the ease with which the clip opens toreceive the one or more layers of fabric making up the pants leg cuff.

Reference is finally made to FIG. 5 which is an elevational view fromthe rear of an individual wearing two of the clothing cuff clips of thepresent invention on the pants leg cuffs typically associated withscrubs uniform pants used in healthcare facilities and the like. Eachleg 42 & 44 of the individual user is covered with the fabric of thetypical scrubs pants legs 46 & 48 as shown. The bottom cuffs 52 & 54 ofthe scrub pants fall (as is typical) around the heels of the shoes 56 &58 of the wearer. Cuff clips 10 are positioned as shown on the bottomrear edge of each pants cuff with the contamination indicators 28oriented downward to make first contact with the floor surface. Thesecond (shorter) clip member of each clip 10 is positioned on the insideof the cuff of the pants leg (as seen in broken line format in the viewof FIG. 5), while the first (longer) clip member is positioned on theoutside of the cuff. Once again, the mechanism involving thepress-through aperture and the press-through ridges (seen in broken lineformat in FIG. 5) provide enough compression force to the spring loadedclip to maintain the clips securely in place during use.

Additionally disclosed in FIG. 5 is an optional use of the flat externalsurface of the first clip member with its preferred rearward orientationduring use. Logo indicia 40 may be optionally positioned on this flatsurface and may provide visual indications of anything from the name ofthe healthcare facility to other sponsored branding elements. Indicia 40may be directly printed on the first clip member or may be put in placeas a permanent or removable label. Alternately, indicia 40 may provide areference color chart adjacent contamination indicator 28 to provide theuser with a comparison reference to determine how much contamination hasoccurred and when to change to a new clip.

Although the present invention has been described in terms of theforegoing preferred embodiments, this description has been provided byway of explanation only and is not intended to be construed as alimitation of the invention. Those skilled in the art will recognizemodifications of the present invention that might accommodate specificarticles of clothing or the identification of the presence of specificcontaminants within specific environments. Those skilled in the art willfurther recognize alternate structures for removably securing the clipto the fabric material of the article of clothing that may be specificto the fabric from which the clothing is made. Such modifications, as tostructure, orientation, geometry, and even composition and constructiontechniques, where such modifications are coincidental to the type ofclothing or the environment present, do not necessarily depart from thespirit and scope of the invention.

1. A clothing clip for limiting contact between an item of clothing anda floor surface that is being traversed by an individual wearing theitem of clothing, the clothing clip comprising: (a) a generally flatback clip member; (b) a generally flat front clip member connected tothe back clip member and positioned in spaced parallel relationship withthe back clip member; and (c) a press through ridge configured on one ofthe back or front clip members, the press though ridge aligned with apress through aperture structured through the parallel opposing clipmember.
 2. The clothing clip of claim 1 further comprising acontamination indicator positioned on a base portion of the clothingclip, the contamination indicator comprising a material that changes inappearance with an accumulation of compounds picked up from externalsurfaces during use of the clothing clip.
 3. The clothing clip of claim1 wherein the back clip member further comprises an end tab tofacilitate manipulation of the clothing clip by the user.
 4. Theclothing clip of claim 1 wherein the press through ridge is configuredon the front clip member and is aligned with the press through aperturestructured through the back clip member, the press through ridgecomprising two or more semicircular raised edges having a widthincrementally less than a width of the press through aperture.
 5. Theclothing clip of claim 1 wherein the back and front clip memberscomprise a polymer plastic material.
 6. The clothing clip of claim 1wherein the back and front clip members comprise an aluminum metalmaterial.
 7. The clothing clip of claim 1 wherein the back and frontclip members comprise a stainless steel metal material.
 8. The clothingclip of claim 2 wherein the contamination indicator comprises anabsorbent polymer substrate impregnated with one or more color changecompounds.
 9. The clothing clip of claim 2 wherein the contaminationindicator comprises a moisture indicator.
 10. The clothing clip of claim2 wherein the contamination indicator comprises a pH indicator.
 11. Theclothing clip of claim 2 wherein the contamination indicator isremovable from the base portion of the cuff clip, whereby thecontamination indicator may be replaced after a period of use.
 12. Aclothing clip for limiting contact between an item of clothing and afloor surface that is being traversed by an individual wearing the itemof clothing, the clothing clip comprising: (a) a generally flat backclip member; (b) a generally flat front clip member connected to theback clip member and positioned in spaced parallel relationship with theback clip member, the spaced parallel back and front clip membersdefining external surfaces and internal surfaces; and (c) frictionincreasing structures positioned on at least a portion of the internalsurfaces defined by the spaced parallel back and front clip members. 13.The clothing clip of claim 12 wherein the friction increasing structurescomprise interlocking ripples on the internal surfaces of the back andfront clip members.
 14. The clothing clip of claim 12 further comprisinga contamination indicator positioned on a base portion of the clothingclip, the contamination indicator comprising a material that changes inappearance with an accumulation of compounds picked up from externalsurfaces during use of the clothing clip.